Analysis essay on Young Adult Literature

“Looking for Albrandi” – The Exploration of Teenagers’ Search for Cultural and Self-identity
Adolescence is a period of growth development and self-exploration. Teenagers undergo a continuous change which involves the restructuring of their social relationships and making choices for their future lives. Ultimately, the decisions made in this potent period will culminate in forming their identity. In the young adult novel, Looking for Albrandi, Melina Marchetta explores Josephine Albrandi’s transformational journey as an adolescent girl who struggles with identity in the multicultural society. The challenge of identity loss is exacerbated by the changes in her relationships with her family and peers. Through a deliberate search with unmasks the lives of the people around her, Albrandi achieves mental and emotional emancipation which results in an entirely positive outlook for her life.
The primary theme in the novel is identity. Josie’s perception of events surrounding her life changes gradually and consequently change her view of herself. In the beginning, she resents her Italian heritage and her illegitimacy. She laments that “Maybe for acceptance because I think that if you’re an outcast with your kind you’ll never be accepted by anyone” (Marchetta 20). Societal standards subject Josie to a state of disdain due to her illegitimacy. She, therefore, feels like an outsider which socially disadvantages her. On her view, escaping the conflict between her Italian culture and the Australian culture of her peers will lead to her emancipation.

Josie says “…run for my life; to be free and think for myself. Not as an Australian and not as an Italian” (Marchetta 40). Contrary to this, it is only when she fully immerses herself into the Italian culture that she gathers freedom and thus proclaims, “A tradition that I probably will never let go of either, simply because like religion, culture is nailed into you so deep you can’t escape it.” (Marchetta 175)
Marchetta puts an emphasis on the need for adolescents to take up responsibilities if they wish to solidify their search for identity. When Josephine fails to carry out her duty for the lower grades at the Walkathon, Sister Louise insists on the ideals of a potentially good leader. Josie understands her misgivings and later reminisces on these events with regret saying, “I knew deep down that I was wrong and I think that my emancipation began at that moment” (Marchetta 85). This segment continues to show how Josie’s eventual freedom originates from her own conscious and deliberate decision.
In the end, Josephine reflects on the significant events which occurred in her final year and contributes to a change in her mentality. In this step, which is also a self-initiative, she discovers that the question of illegitimacy was an unnecessary burden to bear the burden, “…a cross I’d bear for the rest of my life, but what had happened between Nonna and Marcus Sandford made me realize that it had never been my cross. I had only made it mine” (Marchetta 258). Josie begins to attach importance rather than dissent towards her cultural duality. Because of this, her identity becomes more clearly defined. She regains her confidence, trust in people and has enough courage to face changes and accept the truth. Among the facts admitted after the changes are that Michael loves her, and she can rely on him. His fatherly affection changes her attitude towards others. She rediscovers her mother and grandmother who are two women that are relevant in her life. At the end of the journey, he completely changes Josie remarks that “[she] …will sit between them and be a link and I’ll fight with all my might to see that nothing tears my family unit apart” (Marchetta 260). Her journey and effort have produced a new person!
Reading about Josie’s search for identity in the multicultural society acts as a stimulus to a teenager. It establishes in them the need to consider how they define self-identity and the role that family and peers play in that defining process. The process of learning, changing and appreciating is the essential part of Josie’s journey of transformation. From the beginning of the story, Josie experiences changes and truths in her life. Finally, she finds her self-identity and her place in the multicultural society through hard work, acceptance, and introspection. By embracing everyone in her immediate community, Josie can understand herself more than loose herself. It thus can be concluded that the path of becoming a successful adult is only achieved if one is willing to develop a clear understanding of circumstances around them and the reasons why everything is as it is and people are as they are.

Works Cited
Marchetta, Melina. Looking For Alibrandi. New York: Orchard Books, 1999. Print.